A Mermaid's Tale
by DaffodilChains
Summary: Seijuurou is a merman. Gou is a human. They are physically not meant to be. But sometimes fate decides things for you... [SeiGou AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is set in an AU where mermaids exist and a different time when arranged marriages were still common. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! but if I did, SeiGou would be cannon now. **

Faraway from the beach, a single, smooth-topped rock seemed to perch on top of the waves. There were two people there, one half-submerged in water, and the other laying down with its head propped on its palms. They were talking, sadly, it seemed. Even if you could not hear them it would seem that way. Their expressions said so. The waves said so. The birds flying above said so. There was a saddening atmosphere.

"That night the little mermaid's sisters gave her a knife, and told her that if she killed the prince she would get her tail back and she would be able to live with them again." The girl with her dark red hair in a ponytail smiled sadly at the redhead she was talking to. "But she couldn't do it. You see, she loved the prince too much. The next morning, when the sun rose, the little mermaid died and became sea foam. The prince married the princess, and never knew that the little mermaid was the one that saved him." She smiled the same, sad, half-smile and ruffled the red hair of the person in front of her.

"I don't like that story." Seijuurou Mikoshiba flicked his tail, sending a powerful rippled through the waters. "It makes mer-people seem stupid. And, anyways, aren't stories like those supposed to have happy endings?"

Gou Matsuoka tucked a stray lock of red hair behind her ear. "Not this one, I guess."

"Gou-kun, what's up with you today?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" She stared wistfully at him, the sad smile on her face yet again.

"Like that! You keep looking sad, and looking at me like I'm lost or something and you haven't laughed a single time since you've come here! Oh! And you _always_ tell me to call you Kou after I call you Gou-kun, but you didn't!" Seijuurou raked his hand through his hair.

Gou looked away. "Sei…" She tugged on her ponytail. "Today is the last time I'll see you."

The merman froze and he could've sworn the water suddenly got a lot colder. "What?"

"Mother thinks I'm old enough to marry… I'm meeting the prince tomorrow."

Seijuurou bit his lip. "You haven't even _met_ him yet?"

Gou shook her head. "I'll miss you so much, Sei."

"Wait, why can't you come see me like always? We can keep it like this! You can even talk to me about your husband! Just… please… don't leave me." The merman's head bowed, his hair shadowing his face.

"I'll probably be moving into his kingdom – his palace. It's too far away from here. I will not be able to visit."

"Gou-kun…" His hand slipped out of the water and grasped hers. "Please don't go." His voice, his face, his body was pleading. Pleading her not to leave him.

She smiled, but it was tinged with sadness, and her eyes were squeezed shut so that her tears would not fall. "I don't want to go either." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it still trembled. "Wouldn't it be nice if there was a sea witch who could give me a tail and let me live with you?" Before she could stop them, her tears were dropping steadily, one after the other, down her cheeks.

"I wouldn't like it if she took something from you though. I don't want you to suffer…" Seijuurou propped his forehead against Gou's and looked into her watery red eyes.

Gou sniffed and smiled slightly. Seijuurou beamed. It wasn't the sad smile, sure, there was some sadness lingering, but it was mostly happy.

"I should get going now," Gou said, standing up. She pulled the jacket of off herself, revealing her swimsuit underneath. She placed the jacket on the rock and put a smaller (but heavy) rock on top, just as she had done many times before, before she remembered that this time she was leaving for good. "Keep my jacket for me. Maybe one day I'll return."

Seijuurou nodded, and blinked hard, trying – unsuccessfully – to hide the tears gathering in his golden eyes. "I'll swim back with you," he said, his voice cracking on 'you'.

Gou nodded and dived into the water. Although the sun was starting to set already, the water was still pleasantly warm. Gou was a strong swimmer, but mer-people had rails to propel them. Seijuurou stayed alongside Gou, swishing his tail once in a while to slip forwards.

It seemed that no time had passed when they reached the beach. Seijuurou stayed farther away so that he wouldn't accidentally wash up onto shore. Gou hugged him and he pressed her to him, never wanting to let go. But he did. Gou swam a step towards the beach. "I'll miss you, Sei."

Then she ran out of the water, grabbed her dress from the cove where she'd hid it, and fled up the stairs towards the palace. Seijuurou felt a little bit of his heart shrivel up with every step she took away from him. And even when she'd faded into the distance, and even the bright red of her swimsuit couldn't be seen anymore, Seijuurou stayed in the waters a few minutes more before diving under and heading back to the rock to retrieve her jacket and head home.

**Author's Note: So that's it! I hope you liked it, since I couldn't sleep because of this and had to type it up at 12, midnight. I love the pairing SeiGou sooo much. **

** I don't know if you found this sad, but I did. I know they're a little OOC, but it's an AU and everything.**

** This was meant to be a One Shot, but I've got some ideas still about this, so if you life it please review and tell me if you want it continued.**

** Xoxox, I love you all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: OK, so I just put the fanfic up yesterday, but all reviews so far are telling me to continue, so I will!**

**Thank You for Reviewing:**

**Nemesi (Guest)**

**Gou (Guest)**

**sparkling apples**

**I really appreciate you guys reviewing! It gives me that warm, bubbly feeling in my heart and makes me smile, so thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!**

Gou ran up the rough stone staircase leading up from the warm, sandy beach to the primped and over-the-top garden of the palace. The rainwater that was left clinging onto the blades of grass from the light shower earlier that day made Gou's sand-wrapped feet a muddy brown color.

As Gou neared one of the many marble garden pavilions she slowed and walked up its stairs. There was a table in the middle of the pavilion, and a U-shaped seating place, opening where the stairs led out to the garden. The seat was slightly wet, but since Gou was still damp from her swim back, she didn't mind. She'd stopped crying when she was running away from Sei and the ocean, but now that she was sitting down, and the thoughts were coming back to her, one by one, she felt tears gather again.

_'Now, Gou, stop being so stupid!' _She scolded herself in her mind, but even there, her voice wavered. _'It's not princess-like to have red cheeks, puffy eyes and a runny nose.' _She paused and used the back of her hand to wipe away to fat tears that had escaped and started to roll down her cheeks. _'And anyways… Sei always said you looked better with a smile on your face.'_ That did two things: at the mention of Sei, she smiled, but once she remembered she wouldn't see him again, tears overflowed and slid down her face. Warm tears dripped into her lap and she felt her shoulders heaving with every breath she took.

And then she heard footsteps. Next, well-toned arms were gently holding her shoulders. "Hey, are you OK?"

_'Oh god, please don't be one of the servants, please don't be one of the servants.'_ Gou reached up quickly to swipe at the tears remaining. She plastered what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face and looked up. "I'm fine, why do you ask?" Her breath hitched in her throat. The boy in front of her looked great. His brown her was windswept and his emerald green eyes shone with concern. Gou couldn't help but notice his nicely toned biceps as well.

He smiled and Gou felt her heart warm. "You were crying, weren't you?"

Her smile slipped slightly. "Maybe," she said, hearing the strong tremble in her voice.

"What's wrong?"

She sniffled. She'd just met him, and she didn't even know his name, but already, she knew she could trust him. "Well, there's this… guy," she didn't want to say merman in case he thought she was crazy. "And I really love him. He's the one for me, I can feel it, but my mother has arranged a marriage for me and I know it's my duty to do this for the kingdom, but at the same time I can't help but hate her for it. I hate the prince too. I've never even met him and I've got to marry him and live in his kingdom." She rubbed angrily at the new tears streaming out of her eyes. "I only know his name: Tachibana Makoto."

The person beside her twitched. "I'm sure if you talk about it with you're mother it'll be fine," he said softly.

Gou shook her head, her salt-dried ponytail waving stiffly behind her. "I tried. She said I have to do it for the kingdom, and I know I should! I just… didn't know it would be this hard to leave him."

"I understand. It feels like you're being ripped apart, doesn't it?"

Gou sniffed and nodded. "How'd you know?"

He smiled again. "I have my ways." He stood up. "Do you feel better now?"

Gou smiled at him. "Yeah," she said softly. She'd dried off by now, so she pulled the dress over her head and let the smooth material settle on her shoulders. "I should go back now. Are you going to the palace too?"

The boy looked slightly surprised. "Oh, yes!"

They walked back in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. One of those times where you knew you could keep quiet without feeling like you have to rekindle the broken conversation. Where the silence felt like a warm blanket around you.

When they'd reached the last flight of stairs to reach the front doors, Gou was slightly surprised to see her mother rushing down the stairs. She was about to greet her when she saw that her gaze was focused on the boy next to her. "Tachibana-san, I'm so glad you made it! I was afraid that something had come up!"

Gou jumped away from her position next to the stranger – Makoto, and felt her eyes widen. "Wait, _you're_ the one I'm supposed to wed?"

The queen seemed to register her daughter being there. "Oh, hello, Kou. I see you've met Tachibana Makoto. Isn't he great?" She beamed at Gou and then ushered them into the foyer. "I'll leave you two alone, then? Gou can show you around!" She winked at Gou, who frowned at her. She hurried away, a bright smile on her face.

"So you're Gou," Makoto said, smiling.

She stiffened. Now that she knew who he was, the feeling of trust she'd felt earlier was slowly evaporating. "It's _Kou_, actually."

"So now you know that I'm the one you're supposed to marry, do you hate me?"

Gou looked down at her toes, which were peeking out of the edge of her long dress. "Please forget what we just talked about," she whispered.

He looked a little taken aback. "I'm still exactly the same pers – "

"Just… forget it, please."

Makoto looked like he wanted to say something, but he nodded. He bowed low and took her hand, pressing it lightly to his lips. "I would be honored if you would give me a tour of the palace."

Gou smiled, but it was different to the one she'd given him back at the pavilion. It was tinted with a little resentment and a little unhappiness. "It would be my honor." She gestured to the doorway to the next room and started walking.

After staring at her back for a few seconds, Makoto jogged a few steps to catch up and followed her into the next room.

**Author's Note: Tada! Here's chapter 2! I hope you guys like it, review and let me know! **

** I wasn't sure if I should've made Mako the prince or Haru, but I chose Makoto in the end, just simply because there's a slight shipping war of MakoGou and SeiGou. ^.^"**

** *Sigh* writing this was a major distraction from homework. I have an essay to write, minimum 800 words. I have 572 words as of right now, but can't think of what to write anymore. If only essays were as easy to write as fanfics **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I was really worried that the last chapter wasn't that good, but thanks to reviews I feel good about it! So thanks for reviewing and lifting my spirits:**

**Sparkling Apples (Guest)**

**Meepmeep123**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! or any of the character. I do own this fanfic, though ^.^**

Gou led him up the flight of flagstone stairs to the west tower of the palace. She still hadn't put on shoes even though her mother had strongly urged her to, and the stone, smoothed by the many years of people walking up and down. She turned to face Makoto and pressed herself against the wall, gesturing for him to enter the room first. As he softly brushed past her, she lost her footing started to fall. Gou made a wild grab for the banister, but ended up flailing crazily. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact that never came.

After not feeling the cold stone floor on her back after a few seconds, she peeked one eye open and saw that she was staring into green eyes. Gou was suddenly very aware of the warm arms supporting her back and felt a blush starting to slowly creep up and warm her cheeks. He gently placed her down on the step in front of him.

"Th-thanks," she managed to stutter before ducking her head and staring at the floor.

She heard him chuckle and the smile in his voice. "It's OK."

Gou felt her blush darken tugged at her ponytail. "The west wing is quite big. Usually, guests like to explore by themselves. Would you like to do the same? Or should I stay with you?"

Makoto heard that her voice was half-hearted when she was offering to stay with him, and her eyes kept flitting away from him and down the stairs. "If it's OK with you, I'd like to stay and explore by myself for a bit."

She beamed, and it seemed to light up the dim room. "OK! I'll be back in a bit!" Gou turned and hurried down the flight of stairs.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Makoto jogged down the flight of stairs and followed the red hair down the many flight of stairs, through the labyrinth of rooms, and, finally, out the front door. He saw her run quickly through the gardens and down to the beach. He saw her pull her dress off and throw it carelessly into a small cove. He saw her wade into the warm waters and then dive in. He knew he should probably turn around and leave her alone now, but what he did was strip down to his undershirt and underwear and slip into the water, using deft strokes to stay silent.

When they reached a large rock, Gou turned around and Makoto ducked down into the water quickly. After scanning the waters and finding no movement, she shrugged and climbed onto the rock. Makoto surfaced and took a gasping breath as quietly as he could. He swam behind her so that she wouldn't see him and placed his arms onto the rock, resting against it.

Gou sat on the rock and wrapped her arms around her knees. After a few minutes, as Makoto was about to swim back, she started to sing softly. Makoto gasped and sucked in a large mouthful of water. Ducking under again so that Gou wouldn't hear his coughs, he surfaced seconds later, not wanting to miss her voice.

It was sweet, soft, a little airy, and heavenly to listen to. The lyrics confused him a little, but he decided to focus on her voice and not to dwell on it.

'_His hair as red as the flames,_

_his eyes, golden like the warmth of the sun,_

_his smile, to live or to die for._

_And his tail! Oh, his tail! _

_Softly red, flowing in the ocean blue,_

_What a beautiful sight to see._

_If only I could stay with him forever,_

_Him and me.'_

Makoto decided the lyrics were from a love song from a fairy tale, after all, people didn't have tails. He found that he preferred songs that rhymed, but when she sang it, this song, more like a letter or a poem, sounded like magic. She'd stopped singing and Makoto was hoping she'd sing again, when a large ripple waved through the waters and he was almost swept from where he hid. Seconds later, a person with red hair surfaced. Or what he _thought_ was a person, until he saw something flick out of the water, and peered under to check, seeing the tail connected to his body. His eyes widened in shock, seawater getting access to them.

'_Her hair, red as coral,_

_her eyes, beautiful and deep as love,_

_her smile, sweet like candy, to live or to die for._

_And her voice! Oh, her voice!_

_Smooth like velvet, spellbinding me strongly._

_What a beautiful thing to hear._

_If only I could stay with her forever,_

_Her and me.'_

Gou laughed and clapped, breaking Makoto out of his daze. The merman's voice wasn't too deep, and wasn't high either. It was flowing, and, again, lovely to listen to, though not as nice as Gou's.

Gou bent forwards and leant her forehead against his. "I missed you already."

"I didn't like the last bit you added to the song, Gou-kun."

The corner of her mouth twitched, but she pretended to pout and turn away. "You added it too!"

He laughed and beamed, causing Gou to turn and look at him once more. "It'd only sound good if I sang it too, wouldn't it?"

Gou giggled again placed her forehead against the merman's forehead once again. "Sei, I'm so glad you made me write the Calling Song."

"Well, not to toot my own conch shell, but I do have exceptional hearing, even for a mermaid."

Gou snorted. "I can't get used to your mermaid sayings."

The merman – Sei – looked slightly put off. "Well what do you _humans_ say?"

Gou stuck her bottom lip out and tapped her chin. "Well, I guess that saying in 'human' would be 'not to toot my own horn'."

It was Sei's turn to snort. "That's even stupider."

"Meanie!" Gou turned around, crossing her arms and placing an angry expression on her face.

"Aw, don't be like that, Gou-kun!" He flipped his tail and propelled himself halfway up the rock, then proceeded to wrap his arms around Gou. Makoto found himself blushing and looked away for a second, until he heard Gou squeal loudly and saw that Sei had tugged her into the water with him.

Panic surfaced in him. What if the merman was trying to drown her? He shot out from his hiding place and swam over to the merman and Gou. "Hey! Let her go!"

Gou whipped around. "Tachibana-san?" She asked in surprise as Sei asked her who he was. Gou sighed. "He wasn't doing anything bad." She pulled Seijuurou forward. "Sei, meet Tachibana Makoto-san, my fiancé. Tachibana-san, meet Sei. The one I'm in love with."

The atmosphere froze over as the two men recognized their opponent.

"Oh," they said in unison.

**Author's Note: I wanted to end it this way, so tada! Does Mako-chan seem over-jealous? SORRY! I'm sorry the song was super awkward but I couldn't bother finding rhyming words *Sigh*, I'm lazy. **

** Also, just a note, this chapter was sort of focused on Mako-chan and that's why Seijuurou was called 'the merman' for more than half of it.**

**[Edit] GUISE, when I said 'I wanted to end it this way' I meant the chapter. Just to clear things up in case :) Sorry if there was ANY confusion!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry if there was any confusion in the last chapter. I meant I wanted to end the **_**chapter **_**that way. Heehee, whoops, guess I wasn't that clear about it…**

**Anyways, thanks to these people for reviewing. I love you guys!**

**sparkling apples**

**Sparkling Apples (Guest) **_**[This is such a smart way to comment double on a chapter. ^.^]**_

**WateryCordial**

**moonlightrurouni **

**BFTLandMWandSEK  
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**Aceisawesome**

**Summer Styles**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! **

"So… the guy you liked was a mermaid?" Makoto asked pulling himself onto the rock. He didn't have a tail, or anyone to carry him, and his legs were getting tired.

"Hey! Mer_man_! Do I _look_ like a girl to you?" Seijuurou said defensively.

"Sei!" Gou gave him a gentle, playful thwack on his forehead. "Be nice!"

"So how is this going to work?" Makoto smiled at Sei. "You two are in love, but she's engaged to me for the sake of her kingdom and you're a mermaid – sorry, merman."

Seijuurou glared at him, but then sighed and looked at Gou and back at him. "Look, I don't want to lose Gou. Can't you convince the queen to not wed her off?"

Makoto looked at the pair and sighed, looking at his feet. "I would, but…" _I think I've fallen for her._

"But what?" Sei asked, a little sharply.

Makoto shrugged. "It's for the good of her kingdom," he said, not wanting to give his answer.

"Right…" Gou nodded slowly. "The good of my kingdom…"

There was a silence, then – "I hate being a princess! Everything is a duty, or for the good of my kingdom! Why can't I do anything that I actually want?" As soon as she said it, Gou clapped her hands over her mouth, splashing salt water in the process. "I didn't mean that."

Makoto smiled at her. "It's OK. No one here will judge you. I know how you feel."

"So you don't want to marry me either?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean – "

Gou giggled and flashed him a smile, a little dimmer than the one she gave Seijuurou, but bright nevertheless. She turned back to Sei and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened and he nodded vigorously.

"Hey, human," Sei said to Makoto, earning a small pinch from Gou. "I mean, Tachibana-san. Gou proposed a little something. It's a bet."

Makoto shrugged. "Go on."

Seijuurou nudged Gou forward and she blushed and shook her head. "Fine," Sei sighed. "You get one year to try and get her to fall in love with you, then if she doesn't, she gets to come back here with me and you support her kingdom, nevertheless."

Makoto's heart skipped a beat. One year was a long time. He stuck his hand out. "Deal. She comes to my kingdom, though."

Sei shook and nodded. "It's only fair. If she stayed, she'd be able to see me everyday, and that'd be unfair to you."

Makoto smiled. _I have a chance!_ "I'll leave you guys alone, now, but we leave tomorrow."

Gou looked slightly alarmed. "Tomorrow? But I haven't packed, or said goodbye, or packed!" She knew perfectly well she'd said pack twice, but hoped that it would put extra emphasis on the importance of it.

Makoto laughed. "OK, I'll give you some time. The end of the week, then?"

Gou smiled brightly. "OK."

Makoto pushed himself up onto his feet, waved at the merman and his fiancé and dived off the rock, heading back to shore. Suddenly, he heard Gou yell, "Could you tell my mother that I'm staying here tonight?"

He didn't turn around, but lifted his hand and gave her a thumbs-up. _They look cute together… But I'm going to win this._ His strokes got a little bit more powerful and in no time, he was racing up the stone stairs to the garden.

In the meantime, Gou had climbed back on the rock and Sei had dived back down to retrieve her jacket. He placed the jacket onto the rock and removed the plastic. "Wow! It's completely dry!"

Seijuurou beamed. "Of course," he said, leaning closer. "We merpeople don't always like coming up for air, so we have air rooms in palaces."

Gou looked surprised. "Can't merpeople live underwater? Don't they?"

Sei nodded. "Merpeople are like fish and humans, so we need both to survive. If we get beached, we die, but without a mouthful of air once every few days, we don't survive either."

"I didn't know that," Gou said, slowly turning over onto her back. The sun had completely set now and it was pitch black. Gou was slightly startled when she felt Sei's muscular frame next to her. "Is it OK for you to be out of water?"

"It's fine. My tail's still submerged."

Gou nodded and snuggled against his warm, slightly damp body. "What if he does?"

Seijuurou tilted his head to the side so that his nose was touching the tip of Gou's nose. "Does what?"

"Make me fall in love with him?" Her eyes widened as she realized what she said. "Not that he will, of course! I'm yours… But… What if?"

Sei laughed. "I hope you won't forget about me that quickly. But, you know, even if you do, I won't give up one you easily. I'll just win you back."

Gou laughed softly. "That's nice to know." She pushed herself up and kissed Seijuurou softly on his forehead. He blushed slightly, but beamed.

"'Night, Sei," Gou said, slipping back under his arms.

"Goodnight."

The stars twinkled and the moon shone in the dark sky, and watched over the young couple.

**Author's Note:**

**Guys, I'm so sorry this took so long and that it's so short! There's a bunch of tests and essays I have to study for and write for school, so there hasn't been much time. Gomen! **

** I'm also sorry that this chapter wasn't that good, but I sorta have the next chapter planned in my mind, so maybe that'll be better **

** I drew Sei last night, and I'm quite proud of it **** Although I did make him look a lot younger XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I'm already starting on the next chapter, yay! Sorry for the really crappy previous chapter. **

** In reviews up to chapter 3, I got some really nice comments and, um, (forgot what to call it!) stuff to help me improve. There was a review saying I was perhaps moving things along too fast, and I think so too, but I'm still not very sure on how I should slow it down, so I'm really sorry if it's rushed.**

** Also, the characters being OOC, I'm really sorry! I'll try to make them seem less OOC, but if I can't, I'm sorry.**

** Another thing is that a reader wanted me to put in some Nagisa x Makoto but I also sorta ship Haru and Makoto, so let's put a vote? Please review who you think Makoto should end up with **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club**

The week had gone by fast. The whole week, Gou had spent her mornings and half her afternoons packing a small bag of clothes to change into when they stopped at an inn halfway to Tachibana-san's kingdom and packing a larger trunk of more essentials for when she got there. She'd then spend the other half of her afternoon and her nights swimming over to the rock and spending what was left of her time with Sei.

They'd decided not to discuss about her leaving any further, as it was a damper on everyone's moods. So they talked about different things, random things. Why the ocean looked blue and green, why they're hair were red, can fish drown, was swimming or running faster. Gou would take a bag made out of a strong plastic carrying bread, cheese, apples, and grapes to the rock every night and share the 'human' food with Sei. They would feast on slightly damp, but not soggy bread, and cheese that were just a little saltier than usual. Sei declared he had a newfound love of grapes (for the ones they grew in the merpeople kingdom were smaller, saltier, and less juicy) and joked around, saying that Gou better watch out, or the grape would soon have his full attention. They'd swim, and race, and dive. But soon, too soon, the week was up.

The morning Gou was supposed to leave, she found herself swimming out to the rock, early in the morning, when the sun had barely rose over the mountains, and only certain patches of land were bathed in golden light. Her hair had gone stiff with salt with her constant trips into the ocean, and no amount of fresh water seemed to dissolve it. But once Gou slipped underwater, her hair flew smoothly behind her, and she welcomed the peaceful silence. No birds chirping, no horses neighing, no people rushing about. Nothing.

She swam, hard, powerful strokes, and in no time, had reached the rock. She hadn't expected Sei to be there; after all he had things to attend to in his own kingdom, and so, was a little surprised when she saw a figure half-draped over the rock, tail shimmering in the water. Gou didn't wake him up immediately, and instead, took a little time to look at his tail. She thought it was beautiful – no, beautiful wouldn't even begin to describe it. The tail was a light red where it started at his waist and then smoothly became darker as it moved down. There were two 'extra' fins positioned where a human's calves would be. They didn't stick out awkwardly and weren't positioned weirdly. If you asked Gou, she just thought they added to the beauty of it. The actual fin wasn't split into two, like a dolphin's, but was a rounded plate, shaped like the end of a paddle. The bottom of the fin was lined with jagged gold, the gold shooting upwards like the ends of a shooting star, giving a casual but regal look.

Gou smiled and sighed wistfully, wondering why humans didn't have tails. "Good morning, beautiful," Sei's voice, heavy with sleep, came from behind Gou suddenly, causing her to jump (or the best 'jump' you could do while in water).

"You're awake!" Gou paddled the meter in between her and the rock and pulled herself up. "It's quite early, you should rest."

"Says the girl who woke up at dawn and swam out into the middle of the ocean." Sei smiled, a droopy, drowsy half-smile.

"Fair enough," Gou smiled and gave him a soft, swift kiss on the other redhead's cheek.

"So, what are we doing today?" Seijuurou gave a lazy smile and slipped into the water. "Swimming again? Or do you want to have another picnic? I can bring mer-food."

Gou whacked him softly. "Saying goodbye. I won't be seeing you for a year."

"Was that today?"

"Yes!"

"I'm just kidding, Gou-kun. I remembered."

Gou felt on the verge on tears. She hated feeling like this, so weak. She knew that she'd be back in a year, but a year suddenly felt like a long time. She must've clearly looked like she was going to cry because Seijuurou looked startled.

"It's just a year! Calm down, Gou-kun!"

"I know it's just a year, but a lot can happen in a year."

"I thought we weren't talking about this, Gou-kun," Seijuurou said in a faux reprimanding tone.

Gou rolled her eyes. "We weren't, but I'm leaving now."

"Wait, now? As in _now_ now?"

Gou nodded. "Mhm, now now. Like, right now. I literally just came to say goodbye."

Seijuurou's calm face slipped, replaced by a slightly scared face. "That's too quick. It hasn't really been a week, right?"

She leaned in for a hug. "It doesn't feel like it, huh?"

Seijuurou tilted her chin up to meet him and kissed her. It was long and sweet, but still over too soon. "I'll swim back with you," Sei said and Gou nodded.

When they reached the beach Gou gave Sei a last hug and kiss and walked backwards out of the water, waving. She continued walking backwards until she tripped over a small rock. Gou heard the soft laugh coming from the waters and poked her tongue out at the merman. She gave him a last wave and blew him a kiss, and then ran up the stairs.

Gou placed a hand over her heart and felt the fast _ba-bump _of her heart. It was funny, the way she didn't actually feel sad. She remembered the week before the way she'd run away crying. She felt unusually calm and happy, as if leaving for a year were nothing. Gou guessed that her week with Sei had made her remember what a strong bond they had. They weren't going to lose it that easily. And that made her feel great.

**Author's Note: I think this chapter was better *nods*. Oh god, can you just imagine a sleepy Seijuurou?! Like, how is that not sexy XD**

**By the way, thank you to all readers for reading this fanfic. If it's not too much to ask, please, if you have time, check out my Quotev account. On Quotev, I have stories that I have written and thought of myself, whereas this account is for my fanfictions. My account over there is also DaffodilChains, so please check it out. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone for being so nice and reviewing ^_^ I know I took a very long time to update and the chapter wasn't very long, so thank you for putting up with me. I'd like to thank these super special people for reviewing and making my day:**

**sparkling apples**

**lonerinluv**

**Kamikura39**

**DatpandaGirl**

** I love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! or any of the characters.**

Gou was bending forwards and wringing out her hair so that no water would end up on her sundress when she heard a familiar voice yell from behind.

"Oi, Gou!"

She turned around beaming and ran towards the newcomer. "Nii-san! You're back!"

Rin ran a hand through his hair and turned his head to look at the trunks getting unloaded from the carriage. "Yeah, so I heard you were getting married? Who's the guy?"

Gou was tempted for a moment to say Mikoshiba Seijuurou, but stopped herself. "Tachibana Makoto."

Rin seemed to freeze for about a second. "Oh. Him."

Gou cocked her head to one side. "Do you know him?" She asked.

He ignored her and grabbed her half-dry ponytail instead. "Why is your hair wet? And why do you smell like the sea? And why are you wearing your swimsuit?"

Gou tugged at the string bracelet Seijuurou had given her in her last week with him around her wrist. She knew that no matter how her brother pretended to be cool and cut off from everyone, he was overprotective when it came to her and guys. "I… just went for a swim."

"Since when did you swim in the sea? I thought you were scared of sharks."

"I tried it last summer and really liked it, plus Sei – " Gou mentally cursed herself and her talkative mouth.

"Who's Sei?" Rin asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nobody, really," She said, a little too quickly.

"You're lying."

Gou forced herself not to grimace. She knew that she'd never been a good liar. She decided to change the subject instead. "I, uh, have to change to meet Tachibana-san. Bye!"

Gou fled up the stairs to her room and slammed the door behind her. She hurriedly took a shower and tied her red hair into a messy side-plait and pulled on a new dress. She wondered how to avoid her brother, but decided that if she was quick she could just dash into her fiancé's carriage and avoid confrontation altogether.

Running back down the stairs she ran out the back doors and bumped straight into Makoto. She heard Rin and placed her fingers to her lips, shushing Makoto. "If my brother asks, I'm not here." She slipped into the carriage, leaving an amused-looking Makoto behind her.

She heard Rin seconds later. "Makoto," he said curtly.

"Rin! You're back!"

"Yes."

Makoto sounded a little hurt. "Who are you looking for?"

"My little sister. Gou."

"Oh. She was supposed to meet me here, but I haven't seen her yet." Gou mentally reminded herself to remember to thank Makoto. "Have you checked the beach or the sea?" Gou felt her heart slowly sink.

She could hear Rin grab Makoto by his shoulders. "Why would she be there?"

Makoto gulped. "She's been swimming there a lot lately. Almost everyday."

"Does she go to meet a person?"

Makoto knew he'd said enough. "I don't know, sorry."

Rin _tsked_. "Whatever. Take care of my sister." And he walked away.

Makoto tapped at the door and opened it. "He's gone. You ready to go?"

Gou bit her lip and nodded. He stepped into the carriage. And they left.

They sat face-to-face. Awkward silence hung like thick mist in the air.

"So… Are you going to tell me why you were avoiding your brother?"

Gou shrugged. "He's very protective. I didn't really want to tell him about Sei." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Tachibana-san… Do you know my brother?"

He smiled at her, his emerald eyes twinkling. "You can just call me Makoto, you know. We're going to be spending a lot of time together."

Gou smiled uncomfortably. "Right… Makoto… Do you know my brother?"

It was his turn to look uncomfortable. "I do… I did. We used to be very close. Us and two other boys, but something happened." He looked sad, and Gou decided that she shouldn't press him for details.

* * *

At the same time, Rin had decided to take a trip down to the beach. He may have been gone for a while, but he knew his sister had never liked the sea. He jogged down the stone steps and stepped onto the soft sand. Walking down to the coastline, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt. He waded in the water and, once he was deep enough, swam out.

Rin remembered the few times he had convinced Gou to swim with him, that they'd swim out to a big rock and sit and talk. Instinct told him to go there, so he did.

In the distance, Sei was lounging on the rock and saw red hair in the distance. He pushed himself up hurriedly and squinted. At closer look, it was obvious it wasn't Gou. Apart from the hair color there was no similarities. This person's hair was shorter, more buff, taller, and had an entirely different body shape. Wait… where'd he go?

Sei yelped and rolled back, his tail creating a big splash in the water as the red-head swimmer popped up. "Are you Sei?"

Seijuurou looked at Rin suspiciously. "Yes, why?"

"How do you know Gou." It wasn't even a question, it was more like a statement that Sei knew he had to answer.

"I…" Sei knew he was in a sticky situation and decided to flee. Flipping his tail upwards (Rin seemed to finally notice the tail and seemed to freeze for a second) and dove into the water.

By the time Rin recovered, Sei was gone. Rin's brotherly instincts were tingling. He knew something had been going on between Gou and this mer-idiot. And he was going to find out what.

* * *

Gou was extremely sleepy. But every time she almost fell asleep, her head would loll to the side or dip to the front and she would jerk awake. She was so sleepy she didn't notice that Makoto had moved next to her until her head was pushed softly onto his shoulder. "Here. Lean on me. I know it's not the most comfortable, but I think you can sleep now."

Gou felt her face go slightly pink, though she didn't really understand why. "Th-thanks."

He was warm and his shoulder was comfortable and before she knew it, Gou was asleep.

**Author's Note: OK, I'm so sorry! I know this chapter was short, but I really wanted to end the chapter like this so that I can start the next chapter with a little bit of MakoGou (:**

** I'm also sorry if the part with Rin and Sei was weird, but I did want to insert a little bit of 'protective Rin' in there.**


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